Material Utilization

One of the most important issues in the automotive industry today is material utilization. As the price for both steel and aluminum continues to increase and more and more high-strength steels and lightweight materials are being used in the automotive industry, manufacturers continue to search for ways to optimize their use of materials.

Material utilization varies depending on the application. For example, for luxury cars which are produced in small numbers, part quality and perfect finish are much more important than material utilization. In contrast, material utilization and the related costs are dominant factors for a middle-class car model produced in volume. However, material utilization has the greatest impact on a low-end car model, where significant cost savings can be achieved with every millimeter which is saved in blank size and each scrap part which is avoided.

AutoForm’s specially developed software enables easy prediction of potential blank shape and nesting. You can efficiently calculate the optimal layout of the blank on the coil taking into consideration minimal material utilization.